Red Cross experts push new Land Rover Defender prototype in desert testing

The new Land Rover Defender has been put through its paces under the watchful eye of all-terrain experts from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the latest stage of its global testing programme. The prototype vehicle visited the IFRC global fleet base in Dubai, ahead of its public debut later this year.

Land Rover engineers demonstrated the vehicle's breadth of capability to their IFRC counterparts both on and off-road, before the IFRC fleet experts took to the wheel to test the vehicle for themselves on the region's desert sand dunes and the twisty tarmac of the Jebel Jais highway, experiencing the assured handling and comfort of the new 4x4 as they wound their way up the tallest mountain in the United Arab Emirates.

The test in Dubai coincides with the renewal of Land Rover's global partnership with the IFRC ­- a relationship that dates back 65 years, to 1954, when the first specially adapted Land Rover entered service in the region as a mobile dispensary. This year marks the humanitarian organisation's centenary as it celebrates '100 Years of Hope'. Over the next three years, Land Rover will continue to support disaster preparedness and response initiatives in locations including India, Mexico and Australia.